Also, on May 29, there’s going to be a rain barrel pickup for those who order rainbarrels; more information here. (And, frankly, if you’re thinking of ordering your rain barrel, they also have excellent prices on compostbins.)

1) I have long-ish hair, and when I wash it I wet it, and then shut the shower off, shampoo, and then turn the water back on. It might not sound like a big deal, but scrubbing long-ish hair while the water is running is kind of wasteful.

2) A few years back (well, probably more than a few), during a time when water resources were tight, DPW had suggested that people not flush every time they used the toilet, and an irate citizen wrote to the Telegram that she was disgusted at the suggestion.

I remember reading that and wondering if she lived in the same New England that I did.

My siblings and I grew up with the mantra “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”

My husband’s grandmother had a sign on the bathroom door of her place on the Cape that said, “In this land of sun and fun/we never flush for number one.”

So I took it on faith that most people, in the comfort of their homes, just didn’t flush for pee. (Though we always flushed at other people’s houses, out of politeness.) And obviously I was mistaken.

But I’d be interested to hear other tips to save water. And preferably ones that don’t embarrass me further than the above.

Regarding lawns, I also think it’s best to just let whatever’s going to grow, grow. We have chives growing in various places throughout the lawn (instead of regular grass). No idea where they came from, but they’re a nice green color.

We are also the world’s laziest composters. Things go in the pile, but we never turn it. Or use it, for that matter.